Tropical Smoothie Cafe — Restaurant in Blacksburg

Update (7/20/24) - After receiving a response to my previous feedback and filling out the survey provided, I decided to give this location a try again. I followed the site and text messaging prompts, but still had to call to receive my order. I was met with “Just letting you know that we don’t do curbside pickup… but we can still bring it out to you”. I am not going to go into the implications of this from a disability/accessibility standpoint, as it goes without being said. Especially since the neighboring food locations have been able to perform the same service with no issue. If this particular location deviates in a way from other locations for whatever reason, at the very least advertise it. When the store’s hours changed for the summer, it was posted on the door. With this accommodation not be available at this location anymore, it hurt to hear about it after the fact. I felt like an inconvenience/burden for using a service that was listed as an option and was never mentioned as not being one until now. I will most likely not return to this location in the future, due to these experiences.

Pertaining purely to service- curbside pickup should not be listed as an option if it will not be properly adhered to. I have tried it twice now, and both times were very inefficient. In both instances, I indicated that I was on my way/at the pickup spot using the text message link that was sent and had arrived after my order was promised to be ready.

The first time, I arrived at a busier part of the day, so I figured there would be some delay in bringing the order out to me. After about 10 minutes of waiting, I called the store. The worker brought up my name before I did, indicating that they knew I had a curbside pickup order. I got my order within the next couple of minutes.

The second time, I arrived early (pickup estimate 7:34 am) and there were no customers in or outside of the store. I waited for a bit inside my car and noticed that no worker was at the front at all. Even when I eventually walked in, no worker(s) came out. I grabbed my order and walked out of the store.

Whatever system is in place for this process needs to be modified and/properly adhered to. If the customer 1) selects a preference and 2) does everything they are expected to do, the store needs to uphold their end of the...

The place was filthy. When I walked in, there was a bunch of kids sitting down on their phones talking. I thought they were customers. I go up to the register and wait for about ten minutes. Those kids that were just sitting on their phones and talking, get up and proceed to walk behind the register without acknowledging me. I realized that they're working there. They don't turn around and acknowledge me at the register. Instead, they walk to the back and start talking. I say "excuse me are y'all open?" And i'm ignored. I ask again. And some kid walks up, and says, yes, we're open, sorry, we had a flood. There is maybe a small puddle in the back. Finally I order my food. I get my order. I didn't check it when I left. I got home and open my food and it's wrong. I ordered 1 pesto chicken flat and 1 chipotle, the girl repeated the order back to me. There was no pesto, and made me two chipotle. I also work as a manager in food service and watch them make my food. I watched a blonde girl drop someone's order on the ground in the bag and put it back on the makeline. It was her ordered because she walked out with it without paying. Still gross it was on the ground and back where OTHER FOOD IS MADE. And then pick it back up. It wasn't my order but that's disgusting. Also our smoothies were ok, super watered down though. Your staff should also be wearing gloves while making food, and if not washing their hands much more consistently. Disgusting. The only person in there who was working when I came in, was the black lady with red hair. The rest of your staff...

This is my first time ever reviewing. im not the type of person to do this but, probably my worst experience at a restaurant ever. I walked in at 10:00 a.m. to blasting music like I was at a frat party. Ordered 2 smoothies. The 3 workers there were way too busy talking and on their phones and forgot that I was sitting there. Saw one smoothie made and thought they were possibly waiting on something for my second (a Bahamas mama which is one of the most common smoothies there). Another customer finally walked in and got worker’s attention, one of the girls finally realized I was still sitting there. Tried to hand me the one smoothie that was made and told her I had 2. Literally reached into the cooler to grab my second already made. Was there 25 minutes for 2 smoothies. Now I have tried to call back because I’m sure since I was so heated, I can’t find my wallet. Took me 5 times to call the place to get an answer, asked if there was a wallet accidentally left there, and was told “I don’t think so” and hung up on as if they were “slammed”. Drove all the way there and guess what? My wallet magically appeared under the cash register and there was 1 customer there. This place is ran by literal lazy...